It was billed as stilettos at dawn. Endless comparisons between Stella McCartney and her successor at Chloe, Phoebe Philo, had the industry spoiling for a scrap when their shows were once again scheduled for consecutive days of the Paris schedule.

But both of these young women have too much style to oblige the press with a catfight. And neither can they afford to waste time on playground battles: they have the profit margins of fashion houses to think of.

Yesterday, a pretty and sedate second Chloe collection from Philo followed McCartney's low-key show.

Philo's first outfit set the tone for the collection. A pair of beautifully cut, wide-legged claret velvet trousers, worn with striped chiffon blouse and high heels, were sure to please buyers, who report that Chloe's summer trousers are flying out of stores.

Glamorous, tuxedo-style velvet jackets and soft sequined blouses were all worn with aplomb. Quilted jackets in peacock shades of jade and purple hit just the right boho-luxe note. Lace-edged camisole slip dresses were layered over trousers in the show, but look out for them with tanned legs and cowboy boots in W11 next season.

Philo has the Chloe look off pat - at least the more uptown end of it. The cheeky chappy T-shirts which used to pepper McCartney's Chloe collections have gone: for a 28-year-old, Philo is a very grown-up designer. Her fantasy client, she said yesterday, might wear leather trousers or her boyfriend's jacket, but with "a pair of antique diamond drop earrings. She's a free spirit, but incredibly refined."

This aspirational elegance plays well to the Paris audience. Such an adult view of fashion gives Philo a huge commercial advantage, because the sex appeal is never overtaken by shock value. Trousers had delicate, corset-style laces traced along the back seam; leather biker jackets were shrunk to hug the torso.

But while the sex appeal will sell, the joie de vivre which sang out from last season's Talitha Getty inspired collection seemed to have faded. For a collection that claimed Jimi Hendrix as a reference, it was a little one-note.